After jumping out to a hot start in the NCAA Championships at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn., the North Carolina women’s golf team finished in 10th place out of 24 teams.
At the midway point in the four-day championship, the Tar Heels were tied for second place with UCLA and Virginia at six-over par.
But windy afternoons and firm greens led to higher scores, and the Tar Heels finished 32-over.
“We were disappointed that we came in 10th,” coach Jan Mann said. “Tenth place in the national championship is not bad at all, but we really felt like we had one of the stronger teams there. We just couldn’t get it done.”
Catherine O’Donnell also had a nice start to the tournament by posting UNC’s best score of the week in the first round, a four-under-par 68. That score had her in a tie for third place. But an 80 in the third round and a 76 in her final round left her tied for 59th.
“We didn’t play as well as we would have liked,” O’Donnell said. “On the third and fourth days, we teed off in the afternoon and I think the conditions were a little harder in the afternoon wave. It was really windy and the greens got a little firmer and faster. So I think we played on a little tougher golf course.”
Sophomore Katherine Perry was the Tar Heels’ most consistent golfer on the week as she finished tied for eighth at three-over. Perry fired a two-under 70 in her second round and posted back-to-back 73s to close out the competition.
“I was putting great out there, making a lot of putts for pars,” Perry said. “Just hitting it close enough for birdie every once and a while.”
Mann was pleased with Perry’s patience on the course, especially since Perry has struggled with temperament on the course in the past.
